Children of Vice (Children of Vice #1)(20)

“Ugh…” She groaned. “You know you’re the third person today who’s tried to make it seem like I was marrying into royalty or something.”

“Look around, Ivy,” I said, rising to my feet. “You are. If you struggle trying to merge the Callahan family you’ve always heard about and the one you’re seeing now, then just think of it that way. The Callahan family is American royalty. You are marrying the king. And in order to be a queen, you’ll need to get waxed in places you’ve never heard of, and get poked and prodded up and down and twice over. You’ll be expected to smile even though you want to scream and say everything is fine even when the sky is on fire…because that’s what queens do. They make beauty look effortless and fear pointless.”

As I walked toward the door, she asked, “When do I get the Callahan handbook to profound speeches? So far everyone has outspoken me, and my dad used to say I’m sharp-tongued.”

“It’ll be my wedding gift.”

Closing the door behind me before she could talk again, I glanced down at the ring on my finger and reminded myself that…

I loved my husband.

But I’d never let go of the name Nari Callahan.

Exiting the penthouse, both of the guards nodded at me. I entered the elevator, taking out my phone. It only had to ring once before he answered.

“And here I thought someone forgot about me.”

“I did not. Not all of us have free time to just lounge around all day.”

“Excuse you. First of all, after the stressful life I’ve lived, there is nothing wrong with resting a lot. Secondly, I don’t even get to rest now that I’m a bar and grill owner—ouch!” he hollered. “We own a bar and grill!”

Smiling, I shook my head. They never changed. “Dad, you and Mom might want to hold off on the opening. Ethan’s getting married soon.”

“When did you all get so old? Just yesterday you were all kids fighting over who got to get on the back of my motorcycle.”

“You let them on the back of your motorcycle?” My mom snapped at him.

“You can’t be angry about that now! It was ages ago.”

“Oh really, and not just yesterday?”

I could listen to them like this forever.





SIX


“Whoever believes that great advancement and new benefits make men forget old injuries is mistaken.”

~ Niccolò Machiavelli





IVY


“Holy shit!” I yelled, clasping my hands over my mouth, turning around to face the team behind me, and all I could say was, “Holy f*cking shit!”

“Miracles do exist,” Nari replied, looking me up and down, then reaching into her purse to pull out debt cards and handing them to one of the people. “They go by the names Visa and Express.”

“The swelling really went down.” I leaned into the mirror, kind of scared of myself. It took three days for every single bump and blemish to be lasered away. All the bruises were gone too. I looked…I looked, well, like Nari, not physically but effortlessly beautiful like she said. “My hair bounces!”

“Okay, now you’re being embarrassing,” Nari said, signing the receipts as I ran my hand through my golden hair. I’d never used the word gold for my hair. But after they’d done their magic that was what it looked like, streams of gold sprouting out of my head. I was beautiful…really beautiful.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Go?” I looked at her, everyone else already leaving.

She nodded, handing me a yellow clutch, which matched the yellow heels I was wearing perfectly. Both were “pops” of colors, added to the long-sleeved gray Carmen Marc Valvo Pleated Scallop Dress I wore. Words I still didn’t understand, but whatever.

“I’m glad you like it. However, right now I’d like to see how everyone else reacts. Come on,” she said, walking to the door.

“Everyone else?”

“People in the hotel. Think of it like a road test while we get brunch,” she said. When I stepped into the hall, the two men who stood guard behind me moved for the first time in three days, or at least I saw them move for the first time, to stand beside us…me…while Nari called for the elevator. It arrived quickly, and the same bellboy stood waiting.

“Good afternoon.” He nodded at us and his eyebrows came together when he looked at me. He stared even as I walked to stand behind him, his gaze meeting mine in the reflection of the elevator doors. Finally, when we neared the ground floor of the elevator he shook his head as if he’d ridded himself of whatever he was thinking.

“Have a good day,” he said when we got off.

“That was good,” Nari replied, standing beside me. “He came to the conclusion there was no possible way you could be the same woman who was brought up three days ago.”

“He was the test?”

“Part one.” She nodded and then looked down the lobby. “This is part two.”

I didn’t know what she meant and followed her toward the hotel restaurant. I was so busy doing my best to match her pace and not twist my ankle that I didn’t pick up on the looks I was getting until she pointed it out.

“When you first came here people stared at you because you didn’t look like you belonged,” she said, and I nodded. “Now the men are staring at you because they’re attracted to you and the women are annoyed you’re stealing their spotlight.”